"You are never given a dream without also being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it, however." Richard Bach Terri Zwierzynski, MBA (UNC-Chapel Hill) became a corporate refugee in 2001, after 15 years of employment with large and small technology companies including GE, AT&T Bell Labs, and Nortel. After her initial shock at being unemployed, she vowed to “never work for an idiot again!” A non-conformist at heart, Terri Z is now a self-employed business strategist and marketing consultant to solo entrepreneurs, and a grassroots promoter of the solo entrepreneur lifestyle. She runs www.Solo-E.com, the resource website for the self-employed which attracts thousands of solo home business owners monthly from over 100 countries on six continents (and was recently named a finalist for “Website of the Year” in the 4th Annual Stevie® Awards for Women in Business). Terri is also the co-author of 136 Ways To Market Your Small or Solo Business. Terri’s passion for solo entrepreneurship stems from her conviction that everyone has unique talents to contribute to the world, and should be able to do that while maintaining their personal integrity and their lifestyle. As a wife, mother of two children, and owner of two dogs, she cherishes her ability to decide when to work, when to walk the dogs and when to chaperone a field trip. As a business owner, she relishes the freedom of doing work she enjoys for clients she likes and respects. Background: Terri has over 20 years engineering and managerial experience in large and small high-technology companies. She is an honors MBA graduate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a registered professional engineer with an advanced degree in electrical engineering, and in the past held international certifications as a professional in project management and new product development. She holds patent no. 5,963,919, for a revolutionary inventory management strategy evaluation system. From 1994-2001, Terri worked for Nortel Networks in various business consulting positions, including Operations Logistics, New Product Development, and Executive Business Practices. Her roles included organizational assessment and change management; improving new product development effectiveness through high-performance project teams and organizational structuring; and investment-style decision making (portfolio management) to align new product development to business strategy. She received several corporate awards from Nortel Networks during her tenure. From 1990-1993, Terri held engineering and marketing management positions at a $20M division of an electronics firm, reversing a 20%/year decline in annual sales while she managed one of the three major product lines of the company. From 1984-1989, she designed digital engine control systems for commercial aircraft at GE Aircraft Engines. During college, she was a student research in the Aerospace Mechanics Division of the University of Dayton Research Institute. Contact Information: Companies: Email: terri (at) terriz (dot) com |
